I know what you are thinking: "YES! SHE FINALLY UPDATED! WOOHOO!" And yes I updated and yes it is a miracle, and no im not kidding you. here lies the next installment to my story, be it for better or for worst, im getting it off my computer and onto this webpage so someone other than me myself and I can read it over and over again. I know its been forever since I last wrote, but you can deal. because it is summer and I may just write more frequently over the summer (hey it could happen). thanks to my magnificent reviewers! I love you ALL:

Luthien: Darnit girl get back to your story or I will have your head. I think that we all need to give a big huzzah to her so that shell be happy with her story and get back at it. you've deserted us almost as bad as I deserted you! (which I am eternally sorry about) thanks for the kind heartfelt review as always. your input is a big influence on my writing (if you can exaggerate it enough to call it that, lol) thanks LUTHIEN!!! much love

S/S: like your new nickname? haha. thanks im trying to keep as true as I can to the original characters (don't you hate it when writers completely change around the characters just to further their evil evil plans? lol) as u will see, I had trouble getting that Draco-essence that we oh so love into this entry…it just didn't fit in and it REALLY bugged me. thanks for continuing to read my story! and get that muse back soon! xox-beauty

brainnny- thanks a mill, but you know ur the brains of the operation. (laugh laugh laugh)

To my NEW reviewers: Carrie9Softball, quiet-mg, and regina-terrae (and whoever anonymous is) they get the reviewers of the week award (previous awards went to my favorites: slytherin spirit and luthien, by the way) because they're giving me a chance! keep reading, I promise this story wont disappoint you too much! yay I love new reviewers.

lo and behold: my story awaits you. enjoy! or don't enjoy…your decision really lol.

Disclaimer: now didn't your mommy teach you that stealing characters the right thing to do? yes, yes she did.

Hermione could still hear Draco's heavy breaths as they dashed down the corridor. The hands that gripped hers were damp with sweat and unnaturally cold. She stumbled blindly behind him, a sudden fatigue thrashing her senses into oblivion. She had no idea where they were, and judging by Draco's jerky movements, neither did he.

"Draco." Hermione said tiredly pulling him to a stop. "Where are we?"

"Hang on," he said dropping her hand. "Lumos."

He lifted his wand above his head to extend the light of the beam. There was a small rustic door at the end of the twisted, dark hallway. Draco looked down at her and smiled slowly.

"I thought so." He shrugged and grabbed her hand once more and stepped up to the door. He stepped up to it and whispered an incantation: the door flew open to reveal non-other than….

"I was expecting you." Professor Dumbledore said to Draco, who didn't look the least bit surprised, waving his hand over Draco's wand immediately extinguishing the light. Hermione looked at Draco, shocked, as they followed Dumbledore blindly down the dimly lit corridor. Though it was strangely different from the other hallway, it seemed, once again, to have the light blocked beyond the large windows beside her. The outside sky was unexplainably black and seemed to churn with a jade tint near the horizon. But she had no time to stop and look since Dumbledore was walking very fast for his age, and Hermione was having trouble keeping up. She picked up her pace and trotted to Draco's side, who was, again, humming under his breath.

"Why is-" she started.

"Eh!" Draco interrupted putting a finger to his lips.

"But I-"

"Shp!" He kept his eyes glued on Dumbledore's faint figure ahead of them.

"Fine!" Hermione pouted and shook out her hair, walking a few steps ahead of him. Nice view, Draco thought in spite of himself. They finally made it to a large brass door that brought them to the back of Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore's eerie silence along the whole walk worried Hermione terribly.

"How did you know how to find Dumbledore?" Hermione hissed quickly to Draco as they pushed through the door.

"I didn't. All roads lead to Rome and all doors lead to Dumbledore." He smiled at the space before him, before looking down at her. As soon as his glance met hers, his smile faded into a frown. He pushed her gently into the room and raised his voice as he looked at Dumbledore, who was seated at his desk in front of them. "I'm afraid Hermione has something to show you, sir." He said grimly.

"I know." Dumbledore glanced knowingly overtop his half-moon glasses at Hermione. He folded his hands on top of a small stack of books and cleared his throat. "It is a Facinoros. An evil symbol of calling or worship. Because you called Her to you, you are now marked in her likeness. Forever." He paused and stared at Hermione through his moon-shaped lenses. "The only time it will ever not be visible is when your emotions are at such magnitude that all the sadness of your life is forgotten. It will show strongest in your pain and anguish."

Hermione stared down at her palm. The intricate symbol was deep blood red, as if it had been carved into her skin. It did not resemble a Dark Mark; it was nothing like anything she'd ever seen before. From one angle, it was a venomous serpent wrapped around a sword and from another it was a burning tree. It seemed to change with every slant of light. Though painless, when she ran her finger over it, a slight burning sensation stung her entire body, streaming instantly from her fingertips to the ends of her toes. She drew back her hand sharply and looked up to see Dumbledore looking at her sadly.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Hermione, you were very foolish today. And your foolishness will cost you any peace you might have had for the rest of your life." He glanced at Draco aimlessly and then back to Hermione.

Hermione looked at the floor, ashamed. She knew what she had done. She glanced up slowly, her face strangled with thought, and said solemnly. "This does complicate things." Dumbledore nodded in agreement.

Draco waved his wand and sat down on couch appearing instantly with a pop.

"What?" he said under Hermione's skeptical gaze. "We're going to be here for a while."

She sank down next to him, shaking her head, and turned back to the headmaster whose eyes laughed merrily at the pair before glazing to their previous state. "If we play our cards right, then we can still hope for a triumphant ending," was his only reply. "It takes a very powerful witch or wizard to call Her, though most educated wizards do not know it. A simple fool scribbling Her name on parchment would sooner call the Easter Bunny than Daeva. But I must warn you, this power held by said wizards usually turns them Dark."

Hermione gulped with her mouth slightly agape as she looked at Dumbledore, shaking slightly. Draco looked at her, his face paler than usual. Father would love to use her, he thought, sizing her up in a look, if she weren't a mudblood.

Dumbledore took a breath and said in a more orderly tone, "So now, She thinks that she's been called to Hogwarts by someone within the school. Though she does not know who, thanks to Mr. Malfoy's impeccable timing," he smiled appreciatively at him before returning his gaze to Hermione.

"I believe the worst part of this situation is that it was you who called Her. Had it been Draco, or some other wizard of the kind, they wouldn't think twice when he was brought in front of the Death Eaters for their Caerimonia of New Evils." He paused before leaning beneath his desk and pulling out a small bottle of blood red ink. "They can only sense the Facinoros's presence, though, so I suppose we can play a game of make believe."

Draco leaned across the desk and picked up the ink bottle carelessly and sat back into the couch. He rolled it around in his hands and held it up to the light with mock significance. Dumbledore hardly blinked at his nonchalance. "I think I know what you are getting at, Professor." He added finally, placing the bottle in his pocket.

"Then you won't mind explaining it to Miss Granger in my absence. I must clarify to Cornelius Fudge why Her Darkness was called to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I'm sure the entire Ministry is aware of this by now, I know the Order is. Very soon, if truth be told, you two will be joining me in a secret meeting with the Order to decide how we will handle this. But not yet. Now if you'll excuse me-"

"Professor," Hermione said quickly as she and Draco stood to leave. "Does this mean I'm some sort of Death Eater now?" She sputtered in disgusted.

Draco snorted with laughter. "Don't worry, dear. They wouldn't make you a Death Eater if you paid them."

"No. Very few Death Eaters possess the power to call Her. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if no more than two are Of Daeva's. I'm sure you can guess which of the Death Eaters are." Hermione didn't need more than a moment. It was plain as day: Lucius and Voldemort. She looked at Draco from the corner of her eye who had found something fascinating about his fingernails.

"I trust you can make it back to your dormitories without causing too much trouble? Classes have finished, I'll have the kitchen's send you something from dinner. Oh, and Hermione."

"Yes?" She turned back to the professor and Draco continued out the door. He paused just outside the entrance to the office and listened as the two spoke in barely audible whispers.

"Hermione, I wanted to extend my sympathy's to you. You are a strong person and powerful witch, and all the stronger for having been through something so taxing. I hope you understand that it was not your fault whatsoever." He heard Dumbledore say sadly.

"I know, thank you, Professor."

"But it is very important that you haven't told anyone of this, for obvious reasons. Not even Mr. Weasley or Mr. Potter can know." No wonder she's been so separated from them, Draco thought. This must be eating her apart.

"Yes Professor. I assure you that I have kept it entirely to myself."

"Very well then. You are free to go. If you need anything, Miss Granger, do not hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, sir." she said quietly, and Draco could hear her coming towards the door frame he stood beneath. Dumbledore whispered something softly and Draco felt his eyes start to blur, his stomach filled up with a strange warmth. Draco blinked and rubbed his eyes. Upon opening them, found himself and Hermione in their commons room.

"Bloody hell!" Hermione said and looked around, her eyes wide. "How does he do it?"

Draco laughed and walked into the room as if he had heard nothing of their conversation. Taking off his robe so that he was wearing only an un-tucked shirt and slacks, he loosened his tie and pulled the bottle of ink from his pant's pocket. "Alright, genius. Let's see if we can pull this off." He tossed her the bottle and sat down in a chair, kicking off his shoes and pulling off his shirt so that he was wearing only his undershirt.

"Excuse me?" Hermione replied, unshaken by his comfort around her. She walked over to his chair and took the one closest to him.

"We have remake that" he pointed to her palm, which she quickly concealed with her sleeve, "on my hand, so the bad guys will believe me when I say I called Daeva to me."

"I'm no artist. Can't we just copy it with a spell?"

"We could try." He held out his palm expectantly and propped his chin up with his fist.

Hermione looked at him impatiently and pressed the tip of her wand to the symbol. A cold chill ran up her spine and she closed her eyes for a moment before saying slowly, "Exprimo." She uncapped the ink bottle and dipped her wand, only wetting the very end.

She then took Draco's hand in hers and placed the tip of her wand on his lower palm. "Primo." She left her wand standing perpendicular on his palm as it slowly etched out the elaborate symbol.

"Wicked." Draco said, impressed as the wand flew back to Hermione's waiting hand. "That spell may come in handy." He glanced at her newly finished homework on the coffee table suggestively.

"Can it, snake." She replied and moved her homework to her room with a flick of her wand.

"Let's not be hostile." He rubbed his thumb over his palm and picked at the marking.

"Fine." She said, annoyed. "So why did we do that again? Quit picking at it."

He dropped his hands before crossing his arms and smiled at her victoriously.. "So that I can pretend to be the idiot that called Her to a school in the middle of the day for no apparent reason other than pure curiosity."

"But won't they be able to sense that you don't have the real Facinoros?" Hermione inquired.

"That's why you have the Illmentium." He said knowingly. "You have to come along for the ride." He picked up his wand and levitated the ink bottle up and down staring at it as the light bounced from its deep red fixture. He caught it and threw it up in the air, stopping it with his wand inches before it would shatter on the marble floors.

"That ink is completely permanent you know. It's a mixture of dragon's blood, unicorn tears, and snake venom. If you'd like to pay for new floors, by all means continue." Hermione said leaning back in her chair, raising her eyebrow.

"How perfectly appropriate." Draco said, smiling as he plucked the bottle from midair and holding it over his head. Hermione reached out quickly to take it back from him, but he grabbed both of her hands in one of his before she could get to it. Absent mindedly, he looked down at her hands as she tried to pull them away from him: scars creased her knuckles painfully.

He released her hands and put down the bottle and leaned into the chair's back as he stared at her carefully. He paused and she shifted uncomfortably under his eyes, wringing her hands. "Why were you crying?" He said finally, all comedy had left his voice.

"When?" She asked, masking any concern in her voice. She took the bottle and walked to her school bag near the hearth, kneeling so that she was facing away from Draco.

"That night." He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and continued staring at her, still crouched near the fire. Her entire body went ridged. Her mind was racing with possibilities. How does he know? He didn't see. He couldn't have seen. It wasn't him. It couldn't be, she thought as she stared, determined, into the fire. Could it?

She stood up, turning towards Draco who stared cautiously back. "Draco, I don't know what you are talking about." She said seriously and walked into her room. Draco stood determinedly and followed her.

"Are you going to be working with me on the Ball? Or will I have to do it? Because I should get started if you don't want to help." she said from her room as he leaned against her doorframe. She was basically running around her room in a mad attempt to keep Draco's eyes off of her. She hardly took notice to him in her doorway, throwing off her clothes and pulling a white camisole over her bra and pink shorts over her underwear. She hadn't even bothered to light the lights yet she continued to open and close her closet and move the sheets around on her bed as if she was looking for something.

"No, I'll help you with the Ball. Now stop changing the subject." She stopped rummaging through her drawers and stared at him, exasperated. The light from the other room was dim, so he could barely see her face but her eyes were obviously swollen and tired.

"Draco, please. I really don't have a clue wha. . .Come on, Draco. I'm tired. Let me go to bed." She walked over to him, pleading. She put her hands on his chest in an effort to push him out the door. This was an impossible feat considering his size and he only advanced further into the room. He grabbed her hands and held them in his, even though she tried to pull away.

"No, Hermione. W-What's wrong?" She was really strong for her size, and Draco didn't want to admit it but he was struggling trying to calm her down. She tried to turn her head away from him so that he couldn't see her face, but he held her face in both hands so he was looking in her eyes. He doesn't know, she thought. He couldn't know.

"I was never crying, Draco. I don't know what you're talking about." Hermione attempted weakly, her strength failing as tears forced their way down her cheeks.

"It was me, 'Mione." he looked deep into her eyes, as if searching for some truth in them. "It was me."

"I. . .what. . .I mean-" Hermione looked around the room for some glimpse of reality. "It couldn't be."

"It was."

Hermione looked up at him slowly. His eyes were truthful, he wasn't lying to her. She knew in her heart that it was him that night under the willow. She had known all along that the man who had saved her that night couldn't be anyone else. She had purposely not healed her hands so that he would know, too. But he had known all along. She took a deep breath as he pulled her into a warm embrace.

She pulled away from him and sat down on the bed beside her. Draco sat down next to her and held her hand. "My little sister." She said finally, breathing unevenly. "She was killed this summer by the Death Eaters." Her voice broke painfully and she submitted to his warmth, crying shamelessly into his shoulder. "They tortured and beat my family 3 days before I was supposed to leave for the Weasley's. Dumbledore told us to say that we went on a 'surprise vacation' and that's why I couldn't meet them in Diagon Alley. They still don't know she's dead no one does. It was my sister's birthday." Draco pulled her into his lap and held her tightly as the words poured from her lips in disgust and hate. "My mother has fallen into depression and my father has nearly lost his mind. I'm lucky to be the way I am. She was so young. . ."

Hermione's sobs overtook her and she couldn't keep the tears from coming. "Shh. It's alright. They won't hurt you anymore. I promise." Draco rocked back and forth, comforting her and talking to her softly. He ran his hand through her hair and kissed her forehead.

"How are you so strong? You've been through so much and yet you're so strong, Draco." She said looking up into his eyes, the moonlight reflecting off of his damp cheeks.

"I'm not." He said honestly, putting his head on hers as she leaned into his shoulder. "You should rest, 'Mione." He kissed the top of her head and made to get up.

"Don't. . ." Hermione reached out her hand to him, catching his elbow as he sat on the edge of the bed ". . .leave me tonight." She finished in a breath. He stared at her for a second before taking her hand and kissing it gallantly.

"What would your friends tell you? Don't get involved with the Malfoy, right? Hell, what would everybody say?" She propped herself up on an elbow and intertwined her fingers to his.

"What does your heart say?" She replied wiping her eyes with her free hand. Draco bent down so their faces were inches apart whispered to her indefinitely:

"Stay." His icy eyes stared deep into hers and the distance between them became less significant until their lips met softly in the middle of their differences. Hermione closed her eyes and felt his cold lips fill with a strange warmth. His pressure on her lips was intoxicating and sent chills up her spine as he cradled her beneath him. She smiled under his weight, his hands on her back and his stomach pushed against hers. He pulled away slowly before laying down next to her and wrapping her in his arms. She lay with her head under his chin and her arms draped around his neck. And so they stayed for the night, nothing else mattered.

"It was you," she whispered.

She felt him smile and reply, "It always will be."

I'll be your crying shoulder

I'll be love's suicide

I'll be better when I'm older

I'll be the greatest fan of your life

A/N: oh glorious. don't u love me? but I need help with kissing. I cant quite get the words there, and I will have a sex scene later on (…uh maybe) but I want to keep it emotive (thanx for the word, btw S/S have u noticed how much I use it now? lol) and meaningful at least the first time. and well these kids could use some more raw attraction which will come into play later. so yeah. review me and help me out. because ive got a battle going on inside my head and its hard to write like that haha.

xoxox-beauty

ps: credits and mentions: luthien for the uses of dragon blood and goo goo dolls for letting me use there song at the end (oh yeah. i know them personally....not)